Bowl of White Fire

I’ve painted the Magician’s raised hand holding the bowl, with the first layer of some flames burning in it. To complete it I’ll glaze over this white fire with some yellow. I don’t think that the colour needs to get too complex in this case, fire being pure light; the challenge here is get the transparency of the flames correct. I mulled over designing the wand for a while, and decided not to make it too complex, because I thought it would be more of a distraction than a good addition.

The hand was a bit tricky because the fingers were stacked on top of each other, but I resolved it by simplifying the arrangement a little. I enjoyed adding some Prussian Blue to the shadows beside the lapel of the jacket and into the hair, making a very deep dark over the brown and creating a soft blue edge around the hair on the back of her head, an effect that I have loved for many years. I also glazed the rings in the belt with the blue, making it ready for white highlights tomorrow.

 

About pearce

Michael Pearce is an artist, writer, and professor of art. He is the author of "Art in the Age of Emergence."
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